Editorial: An easy way to save energy over the holidays

AT FIRST glance, the Grinch (before his change of heart) would have been tickled to see people standing in line with big bags of Christmas lights at Northgate mall on Dec. 1.

He might have thought they were disposing of those strands of holiday cheer. He would have been right — but in return they were getting free LED strands.

Free is good, of course. But free and eco-friendly is even better.

The old, traditional Christmas lights that so many of us have stuffed in our garages or closets are energy hogs. Rising Sun Energy Center, a Berkeley-based green workforce and retrofit services nonprofit, decided to take as many out of circulation as possible by giving people strands of more efficient LED holiday lights in exchange for their old incandescent ones.

The idea was a huge hit. People were carrying big bags of old lights, some with the bulbs broken or paint chipped off, or pushing boxes of them.

Jim Davis of San Rafael was thrilled. The engineer said he will save money on his electric bill, the LED lights will last longer, and the LED lights don't fail as often as incandescent ones, meaning he spends less time replacing the bad ones. "It's a very good deal. And a nice gesture."

He's right on all counts.

Every bit helps when it comes to conserving energy. That may be an oxymoron when talking about holiday lights, which some Grinches view as an ostentatious waste of electricity, but we like to believe they create a sense of community and make people feel good. That's got to count for something.

It's a good thing if we can feel better about draping our house or yard in lights because we are also being kinder to the planet (just ask anyone on the East Coast about climate change). And LED strings of lights are far more energy efficient — using up to 90 percent less electricity. Homeowners who have jaw-dropping light displays (and equally impressive electric bills during the holidays) will notice a huge difference.

We commend Rising Sun Energy for holding the light swap. The nonprofit does more than just give away lights at the mall. On Feb. 1 it will launch its free Green House Energy Program. Rising Sun will hire local youths age 15 to 22 to do free home energy assessments and retrofits, including replacing light bulbs and shower heads to increase energy efficiency.

We also applaud all those residents who were willing to wait in lines 30 and 40 people long to get rid of their old lights.

If you missed out on last week's light exchange, you will have another chance on Saturday, Dec. 8. Rising Sun's energy elves will be at the San Rafael Community Center from 8 a.m. to noon with more strands of LED lights.